Tyson Fury says he’d be ‘crucified like Jesus Christ’ for saying Anthony Joshua’s comments at Black Lives Matter protest

WBC heavyweight champion feels there is a hypocrisy in how he is treated compared to his boxing rival after Joshua read a speech on behalf of a friend that called for black people to avoid white-owned businesses

Tyson Fury believes he would have been “crucified like Jesus Christ” if he made similar comments to Anthony Joshua’s while attending a Black Lives Matter protest this month, and has called out the hypocrisy in how he is treated compared to his heavyweight rival.

Joshua attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford on Saturday 6 June, in which he read a letter from a friend that called for black people to avoid using white-owned businesses.

Reading a letter on behalf of friend Reece Campbell, Joshua was seen on video saying: “Show them where it hurts. Abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses.”

The comments triggered a backlash against Joshua after a video appeared to make it seem like Joshua was expressing his own views, although many critics pointed out that he should take responsibility for what he says in public even if the words aren’t his.

Joshua furiously hit back at allegations of racism, with the current IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion issuing a response on Twitter that told those accusing him of encouraging racism to “go f*** yourselves”.

Joshua’s comments have not gone unnoticed with fellow heavyweight champion Fury though. The man who holds the WBC title hit out at the hypocrisy levelled at him given that if he had encouraged people to avoid black-owned businesses, the backlash would have been significantly worse for him.

“I'm sure AJ has got his reasons why he said what he said, and its concern is none of my business what he said, Fury told Behind The Gloves. “That's his own opinion and everyone to their opinion.

“Whatever his reasons were, he's done it and it's in the past so it's moved on. I'm sure he's apologised if he's offended anybody - oh he actually didn't, did he! He actually said if you didn't like what I said, go f*** yourself. So no apology necessary.

“Let's just say, I'm not pushing knives in or pushing anybody when they're down but if it had been me who said it, ‘Don't shop in any black-owned stores or any Asian owned stores’ or anything, or don't buy from their businesses, then I'd have been crucified like Jesus Christ. I'll just say that.”

Anthony Joshua spoke at a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford (Reuters)

Fury has experience of similar public backlashes. In 2015, his rise to heavyweight world champion coincided with heavy scrutiny being placed on his views that stemmed from his religious beliefs, with the Manchester-born boxer claiming that abortion, paedophilia and homosexuality would bring about a Biblical reckoning. Fury also made offensive remarks about women and both transgender and Jewish people, for which he apologised.

Since recovering from a long battle with drugs, alcohol and depression that followed his 2015 title victory over Wladmir Klitschko, Fury has taken on a much more reserved role in the public eye, with his emphasis now on helping others who experience similar issues rather than speaking negatively of others. But Fury has never been one to hold his words, which has proven popular with his fans, which is in stark contrast to Joshua’s reputation of a more media-managed rise through the ranks.

As a result, fury believes, Joshua’s speech at the Black Lives Matter protest felt more out of character, and the subsequent backlash came as a result of Joshua not having his promoter Eddie Hearn there to protect him.

“The thing is with Joshua, he's always got Eddie to talk for him and Eddie does all the media stuff and all that and he sort of just reads off a piece of paper,” Fury added.

“Even that speech he was reading, he read it off a piece of paper. Nothing is freestyle, everything is wrote out or planned. So during the lockdown obviously Eddie wasn't with him when he did this, or else he'd have given him a right kick up the rear end because I think it's cost him a lot of pay-per-views, figures and stuff like that, and it's upset a lot of people because he's supposed to be the poster boy, the role model, the ambassador and talks bull**** like that.”

Fury went on to explain that while he would not make comments surrounding race because “colour doesn’t exist” to him, he does still experience racism himself for being a part of the traveller community.

“Good job it wasn't me, and it never would be me because to me colour doesn't exist, I've got the most diverse team in boxing,” Fury explained. “I've suffered racism all my life, 32 years old in August, come from a travelling background, gypsies, hated racist people.

“It's the only race that it's sort of acceptable to be racist towards these days. Even the TV companies in this country are allowed to be racist towards travellers, it's terrible.

“But I'm not a person who gives a damn about what colour somebody is or what background they're from or whatever, because to me everyone is the same, it doesn't really matter, it is what it is.”